Chapter 9 #2
Hot need lanced through me, so strong it was almost painful. Arms wound around me, pulling me even tighter against him. His shaft thrust against me once more, and because of our height difference, it drove into my lower back. His teeth nipped my ear, and my neck arched into the sting.
“You agreed last night, and I won’t let you go. There’s no point in fighting me, baby doll. I always win.”
My knees were trembling, legs unsteady. I knew he could feel it. There was no way to conceal the way I shook. “Can we talk about this l-later?” I asked, lifting my finger to chew my nails.
“We can talk later,” he allowed, tugging my hand back down. “But not about this because this will not change.”
“Work.”
He sighed heavily. “Go eat the breakfast I made for you. I’ll drive you when you’re finished.”
I spun in the circle of his arms and tipped my head back. “You made me breakfast?”
“I’ll get groceries later today. Tomorrow’s breakfast will be better.” He spoke as though cooking for me was something he planned to do every day.
A lump formed in my throat.
It must have shown on my face because his softened. “What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?”
“I don’t eat breakfast.”
His lips twisted, utterly appalled. “You have to eat breakfast.”
I shrugged. Who had time? Or the funds?
“If you could eat anything for breakfast tomorrow, what would it be?”
“French toast,” I said. “With whipped cream.”
“That’s not healthy.”
“You asked.”
“I made you eggs. Go,” he said, releasing me and stepping back.
“I don’t have time.”
“You are not leaving this house until you eat breakfast.” He might as well have just declared a law because the look on his face was unforgiving.
“Get your keys!” I said, racing toward the kitchen. “I’ll be done in less than five.”
“If you choke, I’ll spank you.”
I coughed around the scrambled eggs already stuffed in my mouth.
“Chew,” he demanded, disappearing back into the hall to presumably find his keys.
Hope he found a better mood too.
I shoveled another heap of scrambled eggs into my mouth.
The cheese in them melted on my tongue. Humming happily, I scooped up even more.
After swallowing those down, I grabbed the glass of juice beside my plate and drained it.
With the rest of the eggs jammed into my mouth, I grabbed two sausage links from the plate and carried them into the living room to look out the window.
The view was incredible. I could even see Lake Erie.
Buffalo sure looked different from a fancy high-rise apartment than it did from the grungy streets of my neighborhood.
Thinking of home, I remembered I was in a hurry.
I had just turned to go when my gaze snagged on two plants in the windowsill that looked sickly and sad.
I emptied my hands by fitting both sausages into my mouth and then swiped my palms on my jeans.
It’s not like they were clean anyway. Forgetting the rush, I went to the plants, gently fingering the droopy leaves and dried soil.
Seeing them in such condition made me feel heavy, their struggle to live nearly palpable.
“Those who cling to life defy death,” I whispered, pulling them both into my chest.
I didn’t remember when or where I’d heard that saying, but it was something I would never forget. And seeing these two plants defying death with everything they had made me feel some type of way.
I didn’t know which way. Just the kind that made me want to help them.
“What are you doing?” Kieran’s deep voice made me jolt.
I spun, some of the dirt in the pot spilling over the edge and onto the floor.
His stare was divided between the plants and the mess. “You got dirt on the floor.”
“Well, the soil is so dry. No wonder it’s blowing around,” I said, starting toward the kitchen.
“Where are you going?”
“To water them,” I answered, though it should have been obvious. Well, maybe not, because it was clear he never thought to do it.
Carefully, I placed the pots in his spotless stainless-steel sink and reached for the faucet.
He caught my hand. “You can’t water them in there.”
“Do you have a watering can?”
“No.”
“Here’s good.”
I turned on the water, and he made a noise. I ignored him to inspect the faucet, which was much fancier than anything I’d ever seen. “Oh, does this have a spray?” I tugged the nozzle free from the spigot. A hose came with it, and I was impressed. “This is perfect for watering Cliff and Atlas!”
A very loud silence nearly stabbed me from the side. Then a throat cleared. “Cliff and Atlas?”
I pointed to the two plants.
“You named them?” Why did he sound pained?
“Shouldn’t every living thing have a name?” I countered.
He said nothing.
I turned on the spray and adjusted it so I could gently water them.
“This one is Cliff,” I said, fingering a droopy leaf.
Even its green color was fading. “Because he’s practically clinging to the edge of a cliff, trying not to die.
” I pulled the faucet over to the other.
“And this is Atlas because it’s currently searching for a way to live. ”
“You can’t name them that.”
I glanced over my shoulder. He was glaring. “Why not?”
“Because it’s ridiculous.”
“Do you have better names?”
His glare turned into a look of constipation. “They don’t need names.”
I turned back to the sink, sprinkling some water on their leaves once the soil was hydrated. “There you go, Cliff and Atlas. Drink up. I’ll stop and get you some plant food after work. You need the nutrients.”
Kieran made a choked sound. “You don’t even feed yourself, but you want to buy plant vitamins?”
“You two sit here for the day. You’re being fried in the morning sun over at the window. I’ll find you a better place when I come back later.”
Kieran made another sound.
Doubt made me worry I’d just lied to my new friends. I glanced over my shoulder again. “Am I coming back later?”
His face barely changed, yet the air around us did, almost shifting out of the way so we were closer. My pulse fluttered unevenly when he spoke. “You could just not leave.”
I gasped. “Work!” I rushed ahead only to circle back. “Bye, guys. See you later.”
“They can’t hear you,” he grumped.
“Yes, they can!”
“Get your shoes.”
“No time!” I said, snatching them on the way out the door but not bothering to put them on.
I raced into the hall, pausing only long enough to locate the elevator at the end. The door closed behind me, and I was lifted off my feet and tossed over a thick shoulder.
“Ugh.” The air was forced out of me. “Kieran, put me down.”
“No shoes,” he grumbled.
“They’re right here!” I said, holding them up even though I was dangling behind his back.
He ignored me, and I hung there like a sack of potatoes. My eye caught on the edge of his cell phone sticking out of his back pocket, and I helped myself, lighting up the screen to see the time. My groan filled the entire elevator. “I’m going to get fired.”
“Good.”
“Easy for you to say, Mr. Money-bags,” I muttered, twisting to push the phone over his shoulder. “Unlock this, please.”
“What for?”
“I need to call my boss.”
“I’m your boss.”
“The man who runs the Neon Reef.” There was no point in arguing with him. He was a caveman. And in a bad mood.
He grunted but unlocked the phone. I dialed the number, and it was picked up on the second ring. “Mr. Wasashi, this is Haz.” I paused. “Haz Maddox.”
“I know who you are,” he replied. “You’re late.”
“My shift doesn’t start for another thirty minutes.”
“Then why are you calling?”
“I’m going to be late.”
“You’re fired.”
“Please don’t fire me, Mr. Wasashi! I had a minor accident last night and hit my head. I’m just running a little behind. I’ll be there as soon as I can! I’m on my way now.”
He huffed into the line. “If you were on your way, you wouldn’t be calling to tell me you’re late.”
“I just wanted to let you know that I will be there,” I explained.
“Don’t bother coming,” he insisted. “I never should have hired you in the first place.”
Before I could say anything else, I was hauled back, the phone snatched out of my hand. “He said he’ll be there. Talk to him like that again and I’ll buy the building and toss you out on your ass and hand him the keys on a silver platter.”
There was a beat of silence, and then Mr. Wasashi erupted “Who is this?”
Kieran’s matter-of-fact tone was cool. “Someone you never want to meet.” He disconnected the call and stuffed the cell back into his pocket. “You’re quitting that place.”
I wasn’t. “Do you really have enough money to just buy the building?”
His full gaze settled on me, and my cheeks turned hot.
The elevator doors pinged and opened into the parking garage. I started forward, but he caught the back of my neck and pulled me around while reaching over to hit a button on the panel, making them close.
“W-what a-are you doing?” I stammered, the flush on my cheeks rising to my ears. Every time he touched me, my body went haywire and my mind short-circuited. I became nothing more than an exposed bundle of nerves, nothing but a lump of quivering anticipation.
“You wanted a goodnight kiss. I want a good morning one.”
I turned to putty right there as he lifted me into his arms, our lips fusing like two pieces of metal soldered together, creating an unbreakable bond.
This was not a good morning kiss but one that ended life as I knew it.
A farewell to the man who once was resigned to the ordinary but now knew the flavor of the extraordinary.
I forgot I was late for work and we were in an elevator.
The only thing that existed was his lips slanting over mine.
The scrape of his scruff against my skin was addictive, and I grabbed his face with both hands to get even more of the sensation.
Kieran’s approval of my greedy hands hummed into my mouth, vibrating against my tongue and shooting an electric spark down into my dick. I leaned deeper into the kiss, practically smashing my nose against him, and clenched my thighs around his waist.